[ English ]

There is an appealing background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect destination, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and although visas are for all intents and purposes needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is real of most borders.

The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau gambling hall, features 150 slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 one armed bandits and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the normal table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel compound that highlights numerous conveniences aside from the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and eighty eight table games.